1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anonymous authentication-based private information management (PIM) system and method, and more particularly, to an anonymous authentication-based PIM system and method which can safely and efficiently manage user information by strengthening a user's right to self-determination and control over the exposure and use of his or her personal information.
The present invention is based on research (Project Management No.: 2007-S-016-02, Project Title: Development of Low-Cost Large-Scale Global Internet Service Solutions) conducted as part of Information Technology (IT) Growth Power Technology Development Project launched by Ministry of Knowledge Economy and Institute for Information Technology Advancement (IITA).
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to recent developments in web services, many people are now being provided with various web services through the internet. In order to use a web service provided by a website, users may need to provide their user information to the website and thus to subscribe for the website. User information generally includes the name, social security number and identifier (ID) of each user. The exposure of user information may cause serious damage to users.
An increasing number of incidents of hacking have been reported even from major portal websites or electronic-commerce (e-commerce) websites. Customers' personal details may be lost, stolen or exposed not only due to various hacking attempts or but also due to web service providers' failure to properly handle such valuable information. For example, in order to receive information or assistance from a website during the use of a web service provided by the website, users are generally required to have their personal information viewed by the website's customer services personnel without any approval, thereby increasing the probability of user information being exposed.
Once user information is exposed, it is almost impossible to retrieve the user information. Thus, the exposure of user information may cause serious damage to users. In addition, with a heightened awareness of the management of private information, the demand for strengthening users' right to self-determination and control over the exposure and use of their personal information has increased considerably.